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Nandita Das new head of Children's Film SocietyActress-director Nandita Das has been appointed the new chairperson of the Children's Films Society of India (CFSI).Source: Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 8:57 am Two Bollywood films to be premiered at Toronto film festYash Raj Films' "Dil Bole Hadippa" and Ashutosh Gowariker's "What's Your Rashee?" will have their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here in September, organisers have announced.Source: Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 8:38 am What's Your Raashee? to have its world premiere at the Toronto Film FestivalDownload W Y R? wallpapers Ashutosh Gowariker's next What's Your Raashee? starring Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on the 19th of September as a matinee at the Roy Thompson Hall. The stars of the film Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra along with director Ashutosh Gowariker and producers Ronnie Screwvala and Sunita Gowariker will be present for this gala presentation at the festival. What's Your Raashee? is based on a Gujarati novel 'Kimball Ravenswood' by Shri Madhu Rye. The story revolves around a young Gujarati man in pursuit of his dream girl with the catch to find her within 10 days in order to save his family from an unforeseen ordeal, which leads to an array of confusion, chaos and a hilarious joy ride. The film is presented by UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions and will be jointly produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Sunita A.Gowariker. Music has been composed by Sohail Sen while veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics. The first teaser of What's Your Raashee? which was unveiled recently shows Priyanka Chopra in 12 different characters even as Harman sways to the title track. One will have to wait and watch if the duo of Harman and Priyanka can get it right this time around after the abysmal performance of Love Story 2050.Source: Indiafm.com News | 31 Jul 2009 | 8:25 am Dil Bole Hadippa to feature at Toronto International Film Festival 2009Click above for more movie stills Yash Raj Films had a successful start to 2009 with their film New York turning out to be the biggest hit of the year so far. Now all eyes are on YRF's next Dil Bole Hadippa which brings together the duo of Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee for the first time. Even before its worldwide release (Sept 18th), Dil Bole Hadippa has managed to achieve a rare distinction. The film has been selected for the esteemed Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2009 and will be presented in the prestigious Gala Presentations section of the festival as a World Premiere. The movie's cast and crew will grace the red carpet and attend the first public screening of the film, on September 13, 2009 in Toronto, Canada. Dil Bole Hadippa is the story of Veera Kaur (Rani Mukherjee) who belongs to a village where girls don't play cricket. In order to fulfill her dreams, she puts on a turban and beard and becomes Veer Pratap Singh. Her brilliance on the field earns her a place in Rohan's (Shahid Kapoor) team and then begins a roller-coaster journey of Veera and Rohan filled with music, romance and comedy through Punjab and beyond. The film is produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by debutant director Anurag Singh.Source: Indiafm.com News | 31 Jul 2009 | 8:12 am Delhi-6, Dev-D in Venice Film Festival
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 7:25 am Lohan denies unpaid bills
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 7:18 am I'm too old for short skirts: Michelle
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 7:10 am David Dhawan says Do Knot Disturb
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 7:00 am Florida model Jude Law's mystery girl
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 6:38 am Lata Mangeshkar finally gets a voter identity card!Absence of details and photo of melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has not stopped the Election Commission from making a voter identity card for her.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 6:35 am Lohan desperate to star as Marilyn Monore
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 6:17 am Schwarzenegger hits all-time low in polls
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 6:07 am Diane Keaton to play boss in TV
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 6:00 am Aniston 'preys' on men in 'Pumas'
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 5:46 am DiCaprio seeks Ritchie's advice
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 5:39 am Jackson's mother to get custody of his childrenIt has been confirmed that Michael Jackson's mother Katherine will get the custody of his three kids, while their mother Debbie will have visitation rights.Source: Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 5:30 am The top ten music in the United StatesWeekly charts for the best-selling recorded music in the United States as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 31 Jul 2009 | 5:24 am Abhishek-Ash stranded in Kerala jungle after an elephant went berserkWe all know Bollywood's most romantic couple Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan pine to spend quality time together. But the way they were stranded together on Wednesday in the jungles of Athirapilly in Kerala was anything but romantic. The day, according to the unit, started normally and ended being one of the most calamitous and nightmarish days of the couple's life. Says a source, ''Abhi and Ash left with Mani Ratnam on Wednesday morning to check out an elephant which was supposed to participate in the shooting from next week. Little did they know what was in store.'' The elephant went berserk killing the mahout and taking off on a stampede that had Abhishek, his wife and director hiding in the jungles until people who could control the elephant and rescue the couple could reach. Says the source, ''For ten hours, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Mani went without food or water. They just hid themselves from the elephant's rampaging wrath. Finally, they were rescued late at night. But until then there was no news of their safety and wellbeing. Abhishek and Aishwarya's parents were delirious with worry.'' Raavan seems to be the most troubled film that Mani Ratnam has shot. From the director's health scare to a rampaging elephant to severe viral infections and malaria, the cast and crew has seen and experienced enough to make a fast-paced thriller on the making of Raavan.Source: Indiafm.com News | 31 Jul 2009 | 4:42 am Aniston 'preys' on men in PumasJennifer Aniston will take on the role of a 30-something woman who preys on younger men in the romantic comedy Pumas.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 31 Jul 2009 | 4:36 am "I'm so much like my character in Love Aaj Kal" - Deepika Padukone
Deepika says her character in Love Aaj Kal is exactly like her. "It was so much 'me' that sometimes I felt maybe I wasn't doing anything on camera. I had to look to my director Imtiaz Ali for reassurance. I was reacting on camera the way I do in real life. So far I was always doing things that didn't come naturally to me. This is my most honest performance. I can feel the growth in me in the four films and six roles that I've done so far. I've become freer with my emotions and lines."
Currently shooting for Sajid Nadiadwala's Housefull in London, Deepika is for the first time improvising on her lines. "I feel confident enough now to give my inputs. Yes, I can move around the emotions of my character. I know my space a lot better."
Deepika hopes to create magic with Akshay in Housefull. It was rumoured that Akshay had lost faith in his pairing with Deepika after Chandni Chowk To China.
Deepika scoffs at the rumour. "If that was true you think he would be doing another film with me at this moment? I don't think there's any formula for success. The failure of China Chowk To China didn't affect me. Of course considering the effort we all put in I was upset. I guess hard work isn't enough. But I learnt a few skills during Chandni Chowk which I'll use in other experiences of my life."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 31 Jul 2009 | 4:21 am AR Rahman's son sings for Hollywood movie - Hindu
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 4:20 am LOVE AAJ KAL: Love in its true perspective - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 4:05 am Shahrukh not to celebrate DilwaliShahrukh Khan always has some pleasant memories with Diwali. Most of his biggest hits be it Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer Zaara, Mohabbatein and Om Shanti Om have been Diwali releases. But this Diwali, Shahrukh will remainSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:58 am Male Barali Manju Irali releases todayDirector Vijayalakshmi Singh's Male Barali Manju Irali has hit the theatres throughout the state including Triveni, Pramod, Navarang theatres and PVR in Bangalore today. The audio of the movie has already got good response. Savaari fame Srinagar Kitty, Parvathi Menon andSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:55 am Fire destroys Vijay's Vettaikkaran setsVijay's Vettaikkaran set was completely destroyed in a big fire accident which occurred in the early morning hours of Friday at the AVM studios, Chennai.The fire is said to have started actually on Floor number six at a set put upSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:51 am A R Rahman's son debuts in Hollywood!Oscar award winner A R Rahman's six years old son Alim is going to make his debut in Hollywood as a singer. He has sung a song under his father's music for the Hollywood film Couples Retreat. The film is aSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:50 am Mani Ratnam in trouble againThe Animal Welfare Board Of India (AWBI) has issued a notice to ace director Mani Ratnam, demanding why he had not got the permission from them to use an elephant in the shooting of Raavan.Yesterday an elephant killed its mahout onSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am Four new films to test their luck todayMalai Malai, Aarumaname, Anthony Yaar and Sindhanai Sei are the new films which will hit the screens this friday!Among these four flicks Arun Vijay’s much publicized film Malai Malai, a mass masala directed by A Venkatesh is the film that hasSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:46 am Surya goes for Singam and Karthi for Siruthai!Paruthiveeran fame Karthi's next film Aayirathil Oruvan will hit the screens in a month or two. Now the actor is concentrating on his third film Paiyya with Tamanna under Lingusamy's direction.The actor has also signed a new project for his homeSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:43 am Nandita Das new head of Children's Film SocietyActress-director Nandita Das has been appointed the new chairperson of the Children's Films Society of India (CFSI).Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:31 am Ash is late on the sets of GUZAARISH - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:30 am What made 'Luck' a realityMaking a life-or-death reality show come alive on the big screen is no mean feat. But this is exactly what Prime Focus, Bollywood's leading post-production house, has made possible in Soham Shah's multi-starrer Luck. The film, loosely based on a reality show format and shot extensively in South Africa, has some nail-biting stunt sequences where the difference between life and death is the contestants 'luck'. The Mumbai based post-production house, which has executed vfx for a number of Bollywood films so far, did some extensive work on Luck. The overriding factor on-shoot was the actors' safety. "As is often the case, this film too demanded the use of computer graphics and visual effects to make possible complex action sequences, including underwater and blasts," Merzin Tavaria, Creative Director, Prime Focus told Bollywood Hungama, "Our brief required us to make sure that the director's vision of cutting-edge and fast paced action sequences came alive on screen. We are glad to have achieved the same" To find out the behind-the-scenes action from the edit room, here's an exclusive shot-by-shot breakdown of the most complex and interesting sequences from the film. Images courtesy the producers Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision and Prime Focus. Click on the below tabs for the making of the vfx:Source: Indiafm.com News | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:29 am Ramu's Agyaat cleared by censor boardThe team of Agyaat was worried if Censor board would come down heavily on the film. Other than the fact that the film is an adventure thriller (that's the way Ramu insists on calling the film rather than slotting it asSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:29 am Susan Boyle to give Thanksgiving treat to AmericansLondon, (ANI): Susan Boyle might give a taste of her new album to American audience before releasing any music in Britain. The singer, who shot to fame on ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, is planning a trip to United States in November.TheSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:26 am Kareena returns Rs.10 lakhs to producerJust a few days ago there were reports about Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association aka IMPPA receiving a complaint from M/s PJ Sughand Production Pvt Ltd against Kareena Kapoor. Sughand Production had claimed Kareena had taken Rs.10 lakhs as a signingSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:24 am Marriage made in heaven, or on TV? Rakhi decides on SundayWill she? Won't she? Rakhi Sawant moved from being an outspoken item girl to a coy bride, and now the question whether she will actually get married through her televised 'swayamvar' has middle class India in a thrall.Source: Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:12 am Money-troubled doctor found lifeline in Jackson - The Associated Press
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 3:01 am Where's secularism, asks Emraan after being denied house - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 2:54 am Where's secularism, asks Emraan after being denied house'Am I a criminal or a terrorist?' asked an upset Emraan Hashmi Friday. The Bollywood actor alleged he had been denied a house he wanted to buy in the upmarket Pali Hill area of Mumbai because he was Muslim.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 31 Jul 2009 | 2:31 am 'Love Aaj Kal' is just another love storyFilm: 'Love Aaj Kal'; Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Khanna; Director: Imtiaz Ali; Rating: ***Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 31 Jul 2009 | 2:30 am Good movie needs emotional director: David DhawanOne of Bollywood's most successful comedy makers directors, David Dhawan, says a filmmaker has to be emotional to make a good movie.Source: Entertainment News | 31 Jul 2009 | 1:49 am British press remembers glamorous Gayatri - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 1:33 am Marriage made in heaven, or on TV? Rakhi decides on Sunday - Sify
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 1:18 am bollybuzz: Abhi-Ash's jumbo trouble, Kaminey in soup - IBNLive.com
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 31 Jul 2009 | 12:24 am Jay Bhanushali and Mika enter Iss Jungle - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:49 pm Shah Rukh is still unfit - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:28 pm Marriage made in heaven, or on TV? Rakhi decides SundayWill she? Won't she? Rakhi Sawant moved from being an outspoken item girl to a coy bride, and now the question whether she will actually get married through her televised 'swayamvar' has middle class India in a thrall.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pm Good movie needs emotional director: David DhawanOne of Bollywood's most successful comedy makers directors, David Dhawan, says a filmmaker has to be emotional to make a good movie. He also admits to getting stressed even now before the release of each of his films .Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pm AR Rahman's son sings for Hollywood movieStepping into his father's shoes, Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman's six-year-old son Alim has turned playback singer for a Hollywood movie. Alim has sung a complete song in upcoming romantic comedy Couples Retreat.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 12:35 pm Jackson's mother gets permanent custody of his childrenMichael Jakson's mother will retain the permanent custody of his three children in an out-of-the court agreement reached with the pop star's ex-wife Debbie Rowe. Rowe, who is the biological mother of Jackson's two elder children, will be granted 'meaningful visitation rights,' reports say. See full coverageSource: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 12:02 pm Shyam Benegal remembers the 'delicate' Leela NaiduVeteran film maker Shyam Benegal, who directed the elegant Leela Naidu in Trikaal in 1985, recalls that the actress was "delicate-looking and beautiful" and "particularly good with children".Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:57 am Celina sends flowers to police officersBeauty queen-turned-actress Celina Jaitley was so overwhelmed with a ban on use of horses, elephants and camels by police here that she sent flowers to the officers.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:56 am I'm not just an art filmmaker: Adoor GopalakrishnanAward winning Malayalam director Adoor Gopalakrishnan refuses to accept that he only makes art films.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:55 am Raavan troubled by wild elephant!The shooting of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai starrer Raavan, disrupted when an elephant ran amok in the jungle where it is being shot.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 11:49 am Lesser-known facts about Mohammed RafiAre you a Rafi fan and want to discover the lesser-known side of this legendary singer? Here're some interesting facts about Mohammed Rafi...Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 10:57 am Mohammed Rafi lives on!His was the haunting, melodious and at times even wild voice of several yesteryear Bollywood superstars. Even 28 years after his demise, we still remember him as a singer with a powerful range.Source: Hindustan Times News Feeds 'Cinema' | 30 Jul 2009 | 10:44 am Akki, Sunil and Paresh re-visit signature step of Hera Pheri in De Dana Dan
The trio of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal seem to be having a blast on the sets of Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan. After all, the three actors are re-uniting together with their director Priyadarshan after a gap of 9 years. Even Priyan is very excited at the prospect of seeing his 3 musketeers back together on the silver screen after Hera Pheri.
Recently during the shooting of promotional track of De Dana Dan at Mehboob Studio, Akshay Kumar came up with the idea of incorporating the signature dance step of Hera Pheri.
According to a reliable source, "The promotional track, choreographed by Ganesh Hegde, was being picturised on Akshay and Katrina Kaif. While discussing the song, Akshay Kumar came up with the idea of having the signature step of Hera Pheri in the song. He immediately called up and requested Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal to visit the sets of De Dana Dan for a short while.
Next day, Paresh, who was shooting at Film City, and Sunil Shetty shot for De Dana Dan's track for half an hour and left. The three of them relived old memories as the step was part of the song 'Dena waala jab bhi deta, deta chhapar phaad ke' from Hera Pheri.
An excited Priyadarshan remarked, "It's not been easy to get the four of us together to shoot a film. De Dana Dan is a special film for all of us. When we were shooting the promotional video, we thought of making it even more special by adding the signature step of the Hera Pheri song."
Now that the signature step of Hera Pheri has also been added in the promotional track one will have to wait and watch if this number goes on to become a chartbuster in the days to come.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jul 2009 | 9:54 am Film shoot disrupted by wild elephantThe shooting of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai starrer "Raavan", disrupted when an elephant ran amok in the jungle where it is being shot, will resume on Friday, cinematographer Santosh Sivan said here today.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jul 2009 | 8:56 am Game Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Better than the predecessor
The Harry Potter game series hasn't really been the favorite, especially among fans. The latest addition to the series, Harry Potter and the Order of
Phoenix launched on the PC platform wasn't a disappointment though. And now, with another H.P. movie already out on the big screens, Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince is also coming to you on all the gaming consoles. It isn't really the finest game in the world, but a few tweaks simplify the mouse
controls making this launch a tad better than the previous release and makes up for an appealingly fun game. The only glitch with the game is that the
non-followers of the H.P. series won't really figure out what's going on in the story plot, as the game is an obvious progression of the series.
The game isn't exactly a reproduction of the movie; through it does take the events of the movie as hallmarks. You do participate in the huge scuffles and
encounter cut-scenes portraying key moments. The game play lets you live around the entire atmosphere of Hogwarts. When you start the game, parts of the
building will be locked due to the "You-Know-Who" panic, but completing the game's events unlocks the place. The real game play is divided into the four
basic groups - making potions, flying, dueling and investigate.
Potion magic
Potions is perhaps the most inventive mini-game in the title which gives you 16 different concocts to stew in your faithful caldron. The mini-game consists
of icons which pop up on the left side of the display and you choose the matching ingredient with the mouse. You grab a beaker, move it to the pot, and
dispense it in using the keyboard. As you get deeper into the game's potions, the techniques to create brews such as Fertilizer and Wiggenweld multiply and
become more complex. You'll need to bring the brew to a simmer, fan off smoke, make the ingredients gurgle before adding to the stew and swirl up the
contents. This potion stuff is really fascinating. Though making the potion is made easy as the steps are given away, performing them isn't as easy, and all
the stirring, boiling, etc will keep you with your wits about you because making these potions will require you to get the ingredients to be prepared in
certain ways. Adding to this, there's a timer that's counting you down and you lose extra seconds each time you goof up. Thankfully, if you do get rated
one-star, you can redo a potion as many times as you like, It's not necessary to perfect the potions brew to progress in the game; you just need to finish it
in some aspect.
Quidditch disappoints
Another fine addition in this title is flight. Harry is the captain of the Griffindor Quidditch team, and hence, you'll need to fritter some time on your
broom. Flight is limited within the Quidditch stadium, rather than giving you independence to roam around freely in the setting. You pursue the snitch and
the camera always heads in the direction the gold ball goes. You don't actually control Harry's movement on the broom but rather the camera, with Harry
centered to it. What keeps this from being rather dull are star checkpoints distributed throughout the match. You need to soar through these stars to keep
time in your clock. Basically, this is a timed race more than it is a Quidditch match, with these stars being knock-out checkpoints, like in a mediocre
racing title. Missing a couple of these will turn the stars from green to red and eventually exhaust them completely. And also, it's not a task at hand to
score in some goals for your team, and the AI in this section isn't really easy to get by. But, the flight experience is still enjoyable.
Spell magic
Order of the Phoenix didn't come about in wand-to-wand combat. Even though there were a lot of spells, the commands weren't that responsive and the clashes
never felt that exciting. Things are a tad improved in Half-Blood Prince, but it's still not up to mark. You have six spells - Stupefy, Protego,
Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, Levicorpus and Charging - that are executed with the mouse. Your movements are controlled by the keyboard. This system
works well and is much better than the last scheme. And perfecting the combos for the various spells can help your task to a great deal. With Levicorpus, you
can roll any opponent you find by lifting him or her into the air and slamming Stupefy after Stupefy into his or her chest.
Exploration is the key
Exploration is a colossal element of this game. The story can be completed in about four or five hours, but there's going to be a lot left to do for Harry
Potter fans. The game has 150 Hogwarts crests hidden throughout the school - 125 of those are either trapped on walls, tousled in bushes, and so on, but the
other 25 need to be earned. Walking around the enormous array of hallways, you need to find search lanterns, bird or some other objects with a rainbow-like
radiance around it. Wave your wand at it and you'll get some mini-crests to fall. When you collect these mini-crests, a meter fills. Fill it up enough and
you get a full crest to add to your collection. These crests also begin unlocking added options for you - sometimes it's new people to duel with or the
ability to create the Love Potion. If crests aren't really your thing, there are heaps of badges to be earned by cranking out potions rapidly; being the
finest flyboy you can be, and so on.
This game doesn't really come out as an adventure title, but is still fun to play with the mini-games and its crest hunting. Nevertheless, it wouldn't really
stand out for any Potter fan as the game doesn't live up to the emotions and thrill of the movie. But it's a game to kill a bit of your time with the fun
games included in the package.
Rating:  Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jul 2009 | 8:36 am Calypso Animation to open offices in Bangalore and ChennaiCalypso Animation Studios (CAS) has announced the opening of satellite offices in Bangalore and Chennai. The CAS Bangalore team will help orchestrate outsourced projects in Central and East Asia. According to the company's website, its Indian centers will do Flash, visual effects and 3D animation work, besides R&D and web development. The satellite offices will be headed by Project Manager Muthu A. Muthu is an expert at animation and project management and has over 10 years of experience in the Indian animation market, specializing in outsourced animation, an official release said. The Hartland, US based company offers a wide range of services in animation, visual effects, digital project management, supervision and concept to final content creation. Leveraging talent and studios worldwide, CAS uses a variety of methods when supplying animation services. Calypso completes projects either at its internal or overseas offices or at affiliate studios that have contracted with CAS. Additionally, Calypso can bring staff directly to its client's location or remote shooting locations and even co-locate at its clients offices, as individual projects require.Source: Indiafm.com News | 30 Jul 2009 | 8:06 am Shyam Benegal remembers the 'delicate' Leela NaiduVeteran film maker Shyam Benegal, who directed the elegant Leela Naidu in Trikaal in 1985, recalls that the actress was 'delicate-looking and beautiful' and 'particularly good with children'.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 8:00 am Celina sends flowers to police officersBeauty queen-turned-actress Celina Jaitley was so overwhelmed with a ban on use of horses, elephants and camels by police here that she sent flowers to the officers.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 7:32 am I'm not just an art filmmaker: Adoor GopalakrishnanAward winning Malayalam director Adoor Gopalakrishnan refuses to accept that he only makes art films.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 7:30 am "If the beard appeared not long enough, we couldn't help it" - Saif Ali Khan
The been refrain from Nagin in Love Aaj Kal has caught on like wildfire. "I'm glad. Because my producer Dinesh Vijan chased it up obsessively and we paid a small fortune to get the rights for that music from Sa Re Ga Ma," informs Saif.
Kareena predicted that music will play at every discotheque in the country.
Saif and his director Imtiaz Ali held a press conference at a Gurdwara in Mumbai on Wed before Sikh heads and prominent members of federations.
Says Saif, "That's the way they wanted it and we didn't mind at all. As long as the Sikh community understands that our intentions are completely honourable we didn't mind doing anything to appease the sentiments of the Sikhs."
Saif says he worked really hard to get the nuances of the Sikh character right. "Imtiaz and I didn't want the character to be even slightly caricatural. We worked very, very hard on the body language, and the speech. Then if the beard appeared not long enough, we couldn't help it. Once people see the film they'll know there's nothing to protest about. Everyone will be proud of me."
But was the media interaction allowed in a Gurdwara?
Says Saif, "It wasn't really inside the Gurdwara but in an office within the premise. We all met and sorted it out."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jul 2009 | 7:10 am Big B remembers Gayatri Devi as picture of graceBollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan remembers Gayatri Devi, the grand queen mother or the 'rajmata' of Jaipur, as a "picture of grace and beauty" and a gracious host.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jul 2009 | 6:47 am Reliance Mobile ties-up with Gameloft for Paris Hilton's exclusive gameReliance Mobile has tied-up with US-based Gameloft, a mobile games company that specializes in developing mobile games based on world celebrities and Hollywood movies. As per this tie-up, Gameloft will soon release an unique mobile game based on the life of Paris Hilton. The game is called Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest. This is the first official mobile game from the actress, model, and television star, where the player has to make it past numerous puzzles in search for exceptionally rare jewels for Paris, an official release said. As part of the tie-up, Gameloft will also launch the mobile games version of some of the latest Hollywood offerings on Reliance's CDMA and GSM networks across WAP/Brew and Blackberry platforms. These include Night At Museum 2, Terminator Salvation and The Mummy 3. The company will also offer Reliance Mobile a portfolio of games based on Ferrari World Championship, Wimbledon 2009, Spider-Man Toxic City, and a few offerings based on famous television series including CSI: Miami. According to Krishna Durbha, Head - VAS, Reliance Communications, "Our tie-up with Gameloft is part of our strategy to strengthen our gaming portfolio. Indians love celebrities and movies. Through these unique offerings, we are making sure that our subscribers derive added excitement by not only playing games on their Reliance Mobile but also play games based on super-hit Hollywood movies and world famous celebrities." Gameloft has partnership agreements with leading licensors and sports personalities such as Ubisoft Entertainment, Universal Pictures, ABC, Dreamworks Animations SKG, Endemol, 20th Century Fox, Viacom, Sony Pictures, Touchtone Television, Warner Bros., and others.Source: Indiafm.com News | 30 Jul 2009 | 6:29 am "When you see him as Sardar, you'll forget Saif Ali Khan is Muslim" - Kareena
Kareena Kapoor wants to work with Imtiaz Ali again. "I need my acting energies to be re-fuelled. I'd love to work with Imtiaz Ali again after Jab We Met. Right now, he's soaked in Love Aaj Kal. And that's just fine. That's my film too."
Kareena has her fingers crossed about Love Aaj Kal. "I just want it to do well. I'm right there for it. I'm totally involved in it. Earlier I knew Saif as an actor. Now that he's a producer I see a completely different Saif at home. He's running around till 1 am. I've seen the film twice. Ain't I lucky to see Imtiaz Ali's new film twice over? Saifu is a killer in Love Aaj Kal. It's his best performance after Omkara. When you see him as a Sardar, you'll forget Saif Ali Khan is a Muslim. Everything from body language to beard, trousers and shirt is unbelievable."
Last week Kareena airdashed to Jaipur to join Saif ad Imtiaz for the promotion of Love Aaj Kal. "I need to be by his side now. Love Aaj Kal is equally important to both of us."
No regrets about Kambakkht Ishq? "Any actress would give her right arm to do such a glamorous glitzy role. And I got to work with Sylvester Stallone. I couldn't believe when he said he knew my work. I remember Saif was shooting in San Francisco. He flew down to LA to see my shooting with Stallone. I remember Saif was introduced to Stallone as a member of a royal family and the son of a former Indian cricket team. I remember our lunches. We had Indian kebabs. Stallone loved it. I'll never forget it. He had heard of my grandfather (Raj Kapoor). He wanted to see my movies. I gave him DVDs of Jab We Met and Omkara. "
Like Saif? "Let me tell you, he's the most decent human being I've met in the industry. He takes everything and everyone on their face value. These past few weeks have been really tough on him. Promoting his film he had to keep talking about himself. We both hate discussing our lives specially our marriage plans. We're constantly asked to fix a time frame....two years, three years. Frankly we don't know. And does it matter? We are together, aren't we? I know people had given our relationship six months at the most."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jul 2009 | 6:04 am Blind businessman stars as Bollywood film heroMUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - Naseer Khan, a blind businessman is playing the role of a gunman who fights tigers and jumps off burning cars in "Shadow", a new Bollywood film to be released in August.Source: Reuters: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 5:59 am Rajniesh Duggall to play Khalid Mohamed in 'Rutba'Model-turned-actor Rajniesh Duggall will play Khalid Mohammed in "Rutba", which is being directed by the film critic-turned-director.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jul 2009 | 5:37 am "Saif isn't even aware about my fees for Love Aaj Kal" - Imtiaz Ali
Love Aaj Kal releases this Friday and if the film succeeds in the way it is widely expected to, writer-director Imtiaz Ali is all set to find himself in the top bracket of directors. Joginder Tuteja catches up with the man who is surprisingly calm as ever even as his film is just hours away from release.
Clichéd as it may sound but I am sure Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met would have been made with minimal pressure. Did you have a same chilled out attitude in Love Aaj Kal or was it a different scenario this time around?
When you are working, you are so busy and immersed into affairs that the pressure is not around what you have made earlier but around what you have to present next. You lose all luxuries to bask in the glory of your past achievements. In any case, I am not really a sensitive person and certainly don't have any great expectations from myself. You may feel odd when I say that but then that's the way I have always been. I don't get pressurized with what anyone else may feel. My job was to direct Love Aaj Kal and make it as well as I could. I may have taken all the pressure on me but the end result wouldn't have been any different so what's the point in getting hassled.
Love Aaj Kal appears to be set on a large scale and bigger budget. Was it overwhelming considering your first two films were set on a medium budget?
Well yes, the film has a larger budget but then it's a scary thing as well since it is not always a luxury. There is a lot of responsibility that comes into picture. As a professional I had to make sure that with enough funds available to me, I make it enticing enough for the investors that the film fetches a good price for itself.
The screenplay is little more sophisticated and not so straight forward as was the case in my earlier films
You have been known for making simple movies? In that sense, is Love Aaj Kal your most complex script till date?
Not really complex but I would say that the scale is certainly much wider this time around. There are different things happening in the film almost simultaneously with love stories being told across different continents. Also, the screenplay is little more sophisticated and not so straight forward as was the case in my earlier films. So yeah, in that sense, Love Aaj Kal is in fact different. But no, calling it complex would be wrong even as it brings in two different time zones. Actually you know, I never want a director to come between audience and the film. I hate that myself when I watch a film made by someone else. This is why I have consciously kept the film simple.
How difficult was it managing two time zones in the film? Do we actually see the film oscillating between these two time zones throughout the narrative?
From the shooting perspective, we shot most of the modern portions first and then went into flashback. It was a challenge mainly for Saif since he plays a character from both times. When he was acting as Veer Singh, we told him that forget everything about who Jai is. And then when we shot some scenes of Jai later, he had to forget about Veer Singh. As far as I was concerned, there were a lot of other departments that I had to look at including costumes, locations etc. At any point of time there were different people looking at each of these departments and I had to keep the right coordination on.
It was a challenge mainly for Saif since he plays a character from both times
Seems like those were tough days...
Not really because at the end of the day, for me Love Aaj Kal was just one film and it wasn't really difficult to create the right structure for the film.
Saif as a producer must have helped as well.
(Laughs) Well, we were very clear from Day One that he didn't have to wear two hats during the principal shooting of the film at least. He was not at all involved as a producer with me. We had spoken about this earlier and he respected my stance. For me as a director, I need to have a clear relationship with an actor and a producer. For someone like Saif who anyways had a double role to play in the film, it would have been really demanding for him to be doing the producer's job as well.
Did he consent immediately?
Oh yes! In fact there wasn't really the question of consent because Saif too was clear in his mind of what he wanted. He had Dinesh Vijan, his partner, to look at the film's production for all practical purposes. Saif was very good contributor but mainly on creative aspects.
That must have worked in the film's favour...
Of course yes. At the end of the day, filmmaking is a team thing. We did talk about the film all the time when the film was being written and then shot. He was there from beginning till the end. However, all of this was mainly in the capacity of an actor since he could bring in his years of experience of acting. (Laughs) Honestly speaking he doesn't even know how much I am getting paid for the film. If he gets to know about it, guess what he is going to say?
What would he say?
That I am working for too low a fees. (Winks) As a director, main bahaut saste mein mil gaya usse. But on a serious note, he is seriously the most non-interfering actor I have come across. Even with Abhay and Shahid I had great working relationship. Saif is someone who doesn't believe in confronting and is a very cool chilled out chap. He is just bothered about his own work.
As a director, main bahaut saste mein mil gaya usse
The film's music has turned out to be an instant crowd puller all over again.
Thankfully it has, though honestly when Pritam, Irshad Kamil and I were working on the music, we had a single point agenda to create something which is natural. We promised each other than we won't worry about whether a song would turn out to be a hit or not. We all came to Mumbai from different cities to do something that we enjoyed from our heart. This is why when it came to the film's music; we put ourselves into a total no-compromise zone.
Ok, now tell us who is this pretty girl playing the role of Harleen Kaur?
[Laughs] I am not going to talk about her. We have decided to hide her for a reason so wait for the film to release and get to know more about her yourself!Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jul 2009 | 4:16 am Film shoot disrupted by wild elephant to resume FridayThe shooting of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai starrer 'Raavan', disrupted when an elephant ran amok in the jungle where it is being shot, will resume Friday, cinematographer Santosh Sivan said here Thursday.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Jul 2009 | 3:30 am
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